A simple method for maintaining, detecting and recovering virulent Leishmania donovani in hamsters

The ability of hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) to retain amastigotes of Leishmania donovani at cutaneous sites was examined. Following intradermal inoculation of L. donovani stationary phase culture promastigotes in fore and hind footpads, nasal area and belly skin, cultures of aspirates taken fortnightly from these sites showed that amastigotes can survive in the skin for up to 10 months without visceralizing. Hairless cutaneous sites were better at retaining L. donovani amastigotes than the hairy belly skin. L. donovani promastigotes cultivated from aspirates of sites of inoculation were highly virulent. The skin is suggested as one of the sites where viscerotropic L. donovani can remain cryptic for a long time before the infection either visceralizes or is aborted. Skins of hamsters when inoculated intradermally can serve as an easy site for maintaining, detecting and recovering virulent L. donovani without killing the hamster.